Experts suggest modified activities for obese Boy Scouts

Jul. 16, 2013
|

Some of the 30,000 Boy Scouts and their leaders set up camp Monday at the Summit Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve near Glen Jean, W.Va., for Boy Scouts of America's Jamboree. / Craig Cunningham, The Daily Mail, via AP

by Nanci Hellmich , USA TODAY

by Nanci Hellmich , USA TODAY

The Boy Scouts of America says it was just looking out for the health and safety of the scouts and their leaders.

To that end, the organization didn't allow extremely obese scouts and leaders to attend the quadrennial National Scout Jamboree this week, but national fitness experts say the group could have offered heavyset scouts easier, modified fitness activities rather than excluding them.

Scout leaders designed the 10-day wilderness gathering in the New River Gorge region in the West Virginia mountains to be physically demanding, with numerous high-adventure activities including kayaking, zip lining, rock climbing and skateboarding. The jamboree is "on foot," with all participants and staff walking and hiking everywhere; there will not be bus circuits or personal vehicles on site, the scout website says.

To be eligible for this year's jamboree, Boy Scouts and their leaders had to meet standards for body mass index (BMI), a number that takes into account height and weight, and other health factors. Scouts whose BMI was 40 or above, which is referred to as extremely or morbidly obese, could not participate in the jamboree on the 10,600-acre Summit Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve.

People are considered morbidly obese if they are roughly 100 or more pounds over a healthy body weight. Scouts with a BMI between 32 and 39.9 had to submit medical information to be approved.

Boy Scouts spokesman Deron Smith says those same requirements were in effect at the last jamboree. "We published our height-weight requirements years in advance, and many individuals began a health regimen to lose weight and attend the jamboree."

No youth applications were denied this year, Smith says.

"Our intent and desire is that every young person in America will come and experience this $350 million, world-class, high-adventure facility like none other in the United States."

He says many of the sports and activities are extremely physically challenging. "We would love every child to be here, but we had two things to consider: their enjoyment and their health and safety."

Melinda Sothern, a pediatric obesity and physical activity researcher, has "mixed emotions" about the Boy Scouts decision. "On the one hand, I would never support discriminating against children who are overweight and desperately need opportunities to be physically active, especially outdoors.

"However, my research and that of many others indicates that overweight and especially significantly obese children and adolescents are physically incapable of performing such intense weight-bearing activities like rock climbing.

"It would seem logical to me that perhaps the scouts could offer different levels - for example, beginner, intermediate and excellent fitness levels. In this way, the less-fit overweight or obese youth could still participate and set goals toward achieving the next level by the end of the camp session," says Sothern, a professor at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center and co-author of Trim Kids.

Exercise researcher Tim Church, director of preventive medicine research at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, says this is "a very challenging issue. But given that they (the Boy Scouts of America) state this is an endurance camp, they are on very solid ground from a safety perspective. It would be nice if there was an alternative provided for the obese children."

Scott Kahan, director of the STOP Obesity Alliance, a George Washington University-based obesity policy organization, says, "Frankly, my most immediate reaction is thinking about several patients of mine who would be perfect fits for this sort of activity but would be excluded due to their weight. I hate thinking about them missing out on such an exciting opportunity, but it's particularly heartbreaking to think about how they would feel when told that they're too fat to participate.

"I'm quite certain the exclusion wouldn't motivate them to lose weight; rather, it would likely make them want to cower in a corner somewhere and wish they were invisible. There is a somewhat pervasive, but misguided, belief that shaming and blaming motivates people to change. It doesn't; it just makes them feel bad and often paralyzes change. We've been essentially 'making fun of the fat kid' since time immemorial, and childhood obesity rates have only increased."

Francesca Zavacky, who taught physical education for 23 years and now works for the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance, says, "PE teachers work at meeting students where they are at and improving their skills. Schools don't exclude any children from physical education, and activities are modified to meet the developmental level of all children."